This gorgeous Wild Rice Salad is a celebration of vibrant colours and textures! Made with wild rice, pomegranate, pecans, rocket / arugula, green onions, dried cranberries and feta, dressed with a simple vinaigrette to let the salad flavours shine. A great holiday and Christmas salad – or for weekend brunch to impress!
“That was the most amazing salad I’ve ever had! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!” <– Text message from she who received a container of this. 🙂
If you’re new to wild rice – once you’ve wild riced it, you never go back.
Though the irony in all this wild rice talk is that it isn’t actually a rice. It’s a grain. I’m guessing the rice-powers-that-be decided to call this Wild Rice because it looks like rice and it’s…err…. grown in the wild? 😂
Here’s an up close and personal of the star ingredient in this dish. It’s cooked like pasta, boiled in water. But it tastes so much more exotic than normal rice. Nutty and toasty. It’s so good, you’ll be picking at it while it’s cooling – or wait, is that just me who has such a lack of self constraint?
Yes it costs more than ordinary rice. It $4.70 for 150g/5 oz which is 1 cup which is the amount required to make this salad.
It’s “exotic”! 🙂 And it’s worth it, for a celebratory salad – or a salad for a special occasion. 🙂
And yes, pomegranates are a splurge too. Let’s say it as it is – they make anything you scatter them over look gorgeous, the pops of fresh pomegranate juice from every bite can take any ordinary salad to another level, but they are not cheap. Usually $3 to $4 each here in Australia.
Worth it? For this Wild Rice Salad – YES.
I saw a video recently where a store bought pack of pomegranate seeds were tossed into a salad. We don’t have packaged pomegranates here in Australia (as far as I know), and I’m totally cool with that. Because part of the joy of indulging in pomegranate is the art of getting the seeds out.
You spank it with a wooden spoon. It is childishly satisfying. I used to do a section for an Australian recipe magazine, and for a recipe with pomegranate in it, I included instructions to “spank it firmly with a wooden spoon to remove the seeds.”
That step was edited out. Apparently, “spanking” is a no-no term for use in a G-rated recipe magazine! 😂
Wild Rice and pomegranate aside, this Wild Rice Salad is filled with all manner of deliciousness that gives it that glorious kaleidoscope of colours and textures. I’d rather not list them, prefer to show you instead:
I know it looks like there’s bugger all rocket / arugula in it, but actually, there’s quite a mound of it. I like to chop it up roughly which makes this a scoopable salad, and this reduces the considerable mound once tossed through everything else.
I made a deliberate choice to keep the dressing for this Wild Rice Salad very simple. It’s just a basic white wine vinaigrette – though you could switch the vinegar for any other clear vinegar. I like to keep the dressing simple to let the flavours of the things in the salad to shine through – especially the wild rice.
I think of this Wild Rice salad as a “special” salad, because the ingredients cost a bit more than the usual run-of-the-mill salads I share. And it’s worth it, because this IS a special salad. In both looks and flavour.
I see this on your Thanksgiving and Christmas table! 😉 – Nagi x
MORE SUMMER SALADS to take to gatherings
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Coleslaw
- Potato Salad and Lemon Potato Salad
- Pearl Couscous Salad <– personal fave!
- Everybody’s favourite Macaroni Salad
- Caprese Salad
- 12 Minute Sun Dried Tomato Couscous Salad
- Browse all Pasta Salads and Rice Salad
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WILD RICE SALAD
Ingredients
- 150g (5oz / 1 cup) wild rice , uncooked (Note 1)
- 120g (4oz) baby rocket / arugula , roughly chopped (~2 giant handfuls)
- 1 pomegranate , seeds only (see video, Note 2)
- 100g (3.5oz) feta , preferably soft Danish, crumbled (Note 3)
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries (or similar)
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans
- 1 cup green onions , sliced (or chopped red onion)
Dressing:
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar, or other clear-ish vinegar)
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 garlic clove , minced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Wild Rice
- Boil 1 litre/quart+ of water in large saucepan (no need to be exact). Add rice, lower heat so it’s simmering gently. Cover then cook for 40 minutes (Note 4), or until rice is tender but not super soft (some will burst).
- Drain then leave to steam dry and cool.
- Salad
- Shake Dressing in a jar, set aside for 15 minutes+.
- Place rocket, rice, cranberries, pecans and green onions in a bowl. Add some of the feta and pomegranate. Pour over most of the Dressing, toss gently.
- Transfer into serving bowl, top with remaining feta and pomegranate. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
LIFE OF DOZER
Beach, bush walk, dog park, marina – same, same, but different.
We all loved this recipe. I couldn’t get wild rice so substituted black rice. It was perfect.
Made this for our late family Christmas Day celebration today (plus your lemon potatoes). I used labneh instead of feta but everything else exactly as per the recipe. It was so delicious, everyone loved it. No leftovers. Thanks Nagi for inspiring recipes and Happy Christmas!
This is sooo good. This is the perfect summertime salad to bring to an Aussie bbq. I get lots of compliments each and every time. Love it! Love it! Love it! Thanks, Nagi and Dozer.
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Delicious! I made this for a Xmas lunch and followed your recipe exactly; turned out perfect and was complimented by all. Only addition was pistachios sprinkled on the top too, which are festive in colour and matched the salad well. Thank you! A big hit. Will definitely make again – perfect festive salad for hot climates.
Delicious! I made this for a Xmas lunch and followed your recipe exactly; turned out perfect and was complimented by all. Only addition was pistachios sprinkled on the top too, which are festive in colour and matched the salad well. Thank you! A big hit.
So glad I found this recipe. I just can’t stop eating it. What a clever combination of ingredients and flavors. The wild rice — a lovely texture and the arugula — a distinct peppery flavor. All the ingredients go so well together. Thank you, Nagi, for the recipe!
I made this salad twice for the holidays – it’s beautiful and everybody loved it!
Hi Nagi, Coles sell frozen pomegranate in bags, so even easier to make!
Hi Vanessa! Do you find they stay red once thawed?? Because I bought them a few years ago and found that they lost all the red colour when they thawed!! 😂
Hi Nagi, I made my version of this tonight and something was missing. So glad I just found your recipe which includes cheese. I made a big batch so will add some crumbled goat cheese which is exactly what it needs. You saved the day! I also used micro greens from a friends garden but def will use arugula next time. Thank you!
Hi! Can raisins be used instead of cranberries?
Sure can Hazel, enjoy! N x
Hi there! I was wondering what I could replace the pecans with (nut allergy)? Or if they can be left out entirely without affecting the taste/texture too much? Thanks!
Hi Melissa, just leave them out if you prefer! N x
I love this salad and so does everyone I make it for. Couldn’t get a pomegranate today and was wondering if I used the frozen seeds or would they be like raspberries and go mushy?
Frozen will be fine – they thaw just like fresh pomegranate 🙂
I love the name of this salad and it looks so wonderfully nourishing. I LOVE things like this for breakfast, too
YES! I’d eat this any time of the day! N x
Hello, Nagi, I have never left a comment for a recipe either, but your wild rice recipe is outstanding. I used a wild rice medley that we can easily get in stores, and I used halved red grapes instead of the pomegranate. The first time I served it last summer, my girlfriends raved about it, but my Chef Daddy husband wasn’t enthusiastic. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t love it! Well, I made again, and he
absolutely loved it- could’t explain what happened the first time, and asks me to make it again soon. This will be my go-to recipe for taking to parties and pot-lucks. Thank you!
That’s awesome to hear Lucinda, I’m so glad it was a hit!